Book Club!
Last night I visited a book club at one of the branches of my library system, co-hosted by our classmate, Lindsay Cory! This group meets once per month and is open to anyone over the age of 18 The group reads Young Adult titles, and this month's selection was Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I let Lindsay know I was going to observe her book club for our class, and she graciously sent me a copy of the book so I could be up to speed on the discussion.
Now, I've admitted in the past that I used to heavily read YA titles, but I'd fallen off the wagon lately due to some disinterest and disconnect between myself and the characters/situations of the books. So when I decided I wanted to come to the YA Book Club, I wasn't sure I'd have a good experience reading the book and talking about it.
I showed up early for the meeting and talked with Lindsay and her co-host, Tammy, for a moment. I know both of them from being coworkers (albeit at different branches, but still), so we made some small talk while waiting for book club time to roll around. Tammy opened up the room and set up a snack table and Keurig coffee station. She said they usually have some sort of homemade fare, but due to other things going on, had to resort to store-bought this time. We were meeting in a medium sized room, and there were enough chairs set up for eight people to talk comfortably. Tammy and Lindsay said that some of their regular book clubbers were absent, and as people came in they caught up with them and made sure everyone felt at home.
Lindsay and Tammy made it very obvious how comfortable everyone was with coming to the book club. There was just a very casual energy to everything, and even with it being my first visit to the book club, I didn't feel out of place. Tammy introduced me to everyone, and I feel that she would have made that effort even if she didn't know me from being coworkers.
Tammy "felt" like the leader of the group, but I'm saying that kind of loosely. With it being such a casual atmosphere, everyone just fell into the conversation naturally. We all talked about the book, what we liked, what we didn't like, if we had questions about scenes, or where we felt it was going (this is the first book in a trilogy). Everyone participated except for one attendee who admitted that she had trouble getting into the book and hadn't gotten further than 50 pages in. By the end of the discussion, however, she was more intrigued by the book and decided she wanted to read more.
The discussion wasn't structured, which had both its pros and cons. We were all able to chime in organically, which felt really casual and conversational. It didn't feel like we were in a class or needed to answer every question that came up. The only con I have for this structure is that we all tended to digress a little bit, so we got off the topic of the book for some parts. Even with some digression, though, I don't feel like this was really a detriment to the group. Some people might have wanted the discussion to stay solely on the book, but it was more of a community because we were able to get off topic and then circle back around to the book again.
Not only did we discuss the book, but we also discussed YA as a reputable genre. We appreciated that the genre (and this book), while meant for teens, wasn't written as though it was being "dumbed down" for teens. We talked about the fact that some of us have read novels in adult fiction that felt intellectually lower than some of the books geared towards teens, especially with modern YA authors really stepping up their game in order to please not only young adults, but adults interested in the books as well.
At the end of the book club, I grabbed a copy of the schedule for the rest of the year to see if I could switch my schedule around and make it again. I would definitely come back to this book club for the discussion and the community.
Now, I've admitted in the past that I used to heavily read YA titles, but I'd fallen off the wagon lately due to some disinterest and disconnect between myself and the characters/situations of the books. So when I decided I wanted to come to the YA Book Club, I wasn't sure I'd have a good experience reading the book and talking about it.
I showed up early for the meeting and talked with Lindsay and her co-host, Tammy, for a moment. I know both of them from being coworkers (albeit at different branches, but still), so we made some small talk while waiting for book club time to roll around. Tammy opened up the room and set up a snack table and Keurig coffee station. She said they usually have some sort of homemade fare, but due to other things going on, had to resort to store-bought this time. We were meeting in a medium sized room, and there were enough chairs set up for eight people to talk comfortably. Tammy and Lindsay said that some of their regular book clubbers were absent, and as people came in they caught up with them and made sure everyone felt at home.
Lindsay and Tammy made it very obvious how comfortable everyone was with coming to the book club. There was just a very casual energy to everything, and even with it being my first visit to the book club, I didn't feel out of place. Tammy introduced me to everyone, and I feel that she would have made that effort even if she didn't know me from being coworkers.
Tammy "felt" like the leader of the group, but I'm saying that kind of loosely. With it being such a casual atmosphere, everyone just fell into the conversation naturally. We all talked about the book, what we liked, what we didn't like, if we had questions about scenes, or where we felt it was going (this is the first book in a trilogy). Everyone participated except for one attendee who admitted that she had trouble getting into the book and hadn't gotten further than 50 pages in. By the end of the discussion, however, she was more intrigued by the book and decided she wanted to read more.
The discussion wasn't structured, which had both its pros and cons. We were all able to chime in organically, which felt really casual and conversational. It didn't feel like we were in a class or needed to answer every question that came up. The only con I have for this structure is that we all tended to digress a little bit, so we got off the topic of the book for some parts. Even with some digression, though, I don't feel like this was really a detriment to the group. Some people might have wanted the discussion to stay solely on the book, but it was more of a community because we were able to get off topic and then circle back around to the book again.
Not only did we discuss the book, but we also discussed YA as a reputable genre. We appreciated that the genre (and this book), while meant for teens, wasn't written as though it was being "dumbed down" for teens. We talked about the fact that some of us have read novels in adult fiction that felt intellectually lower than some of the books geared towards teens, especially with modern YA authors really stepping up their game in order to please not only young adults, but adults interested in the books as well.
At the end of the book club, I grabbed a copy of the schedule for the rest of the year to see if I could switch my schedule around and make it again. I would definitely come back to this book club for the discussion and the community.
Catherine,
ReplyDeleteYour interaction with the YA Book Club sounds a lot like mine with the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Club! It is also very casual when it comes to how everything is structured, and that can allow people to feel more at ease if they want to draw connections with other things they've read or seen recently. I do agree, however, that looseness can become a struggle when off-topic situations happen. But I've noticed, with other groups that I'm part of, sometimes that digression was needed. Perhaps in a book club it could be about a particular trigger that someone found as they were reading, or even something more positive, such as how neat a part of the book would look visually.
As I mentioned on my own post, I don't participate regularly in book clubs, but I am part of some other groups where prepared discussion questions are asked...and this can make for a very frustrating evening if the leader does want to push through them all, even if something within the conversation happens organically (and time runs out). I'm generally not too bothered if all the questions don't get asked or answered, but I suppose I assume that the person has prepared a list which will keep the conversation going if it lags (and that therefore the point is to use them, but not rely on them).
I wanted to read your post because Sara referred to it while commenting on mine, so I had to check it out. This does sound a lot like the book club I attended, and I was really grateful for the casual atmosphere, as an observer. I think I would have had a hard time relaxing if it had been super structured. But the ladies were so welcoming and all got along really well. Plus, mine was a "spicy romance" book club, and I think you have to have a certain sense of openness, and a sense of humor, to participate in a group like that.
ReplyDeleteBut how cool is it that your adult group talked about YA?? I LOVE YA, and I am always trying to convince other adults of how many awesome, worthwhile YA books are out there. It's also something I encourage my patrons toward, especially if they have read EVERYTHING in their preferred genres.
Anyway, I'm glad you had a great experience, and how cool was it that the book club was run by a classmate!
Amanda,
DeleteI wish more libraries nudged adults in the direction of YA. Not only for those adults who have teens themselves, but others, too. As you say, there are so many amazing books being published (especially now), in this genre/category. And unfortunately, while there are adults who think reading them is a great chance to experience wonderful stories, there are others who think adults who do so are somewhere close to contemptible (or even lower).
This book club sounds right up my alley. I read mostly YA books and the best thing is to be able to discuss book that you really enjoy reading. With that being said I believe that when you pick a book club it is a good idea to pick one that will have books that you would not normally read to help broaden your reading.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I like book clubs that are more laid back and make everyone feel comfortable. I feel if the member feel comfortable you have better discussions. I like that you found a book club that was ran by one of the member of this class.
Wonderful observations! I'm glad you had a great time and I love that you got to observe a classmates! Full points!
ReplyDelete